A Slow Goodbye
by Vamphire
Summary: He chased after him, hoping to heal the break in his heart - but it gradually tore him apart as he showed him his slow farewell. - shounen-ai


**Title:** A Slow Goodbye - a "Naruto" fanfiction

**Originally Written:** August 18, 2010 at 22:59

**Pairing(s):** hinted Sasuke x Naruto

**Disclaimer:** Original Story and Characters Copyrighted by Masashi Kishimoto

**Warnings:** Darker themes and mentions of possible spoilers (beginning of _Shippuden_ material)_._ Depending on interpretation, possible character death. If you do not like a negative fanfiction, please click the "Back" button.

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There was a time when he had trusted him - he would have given everything for him. But he betrayed his trust, breaking his view of the world until he saw a distorted view of the truth, leaving him sitting in the middle of a pile of shards, left to pick up the pieces and attempt to rebuild a broken heart.

But he couldn't stop loving him, to keep loving him despite all his betrayals, the injuries he inflicted upon his heart. It just hurt - his heart and soul were split about him.

Sometimes, he would cry himself to sleep, unable to resolve the conflict between loving and hating him, the pure loathing he felt for being put through this agony and the blind adoration for the loyal person he still saw behind that detached exterior. Other nights he spent sleepless as he thought and rethought about him, rationalizing - or attempting to rationalize - his feelings towards him.

But they were never resolved.

Instead, those feelings tumbled and twisted in his mind, swirling in a vortex of chaos with no chance of escaping, of disappearing from his heart, soul, and mind. Not once, during those three long years, did those emotions disappear.

And it showed.

At first, his friends did not notice. They were all smiles and laughter, welcoming him back home after his long journey away. He laughed, forcing practiced smiles onto his face as he listened to what they had accomplished during their time apart.

But he still found himself suddenly stopping in the middle of the street or abruptly turning around, thinking he saw a familiar figure. A glimpse of a navy-blue shirt out of the corner of his eye, a flash of a wave from a white-clothed arm, a glance of dark, spiky hair - he nearly cried out, kneeling over with one hand clutched to his aching heart whenever his glimpsed person resulted in someone...not _him_.

He haunted him by his absence far more than his presence ever did. In his mind, thoughts, _dreams_.

He would always relive that moment, the last fight where he lost him. He had let him leave - leave him behind..._forever_.

He could never convince him to return home - no matter what he said, no matter what he did. He stopped eating properly - not that he ever had in the first place - fretting during his free time over the swirling doubts and regrets left over from that moment.

And they finally noticed the change in him - his quiet moments, the sad looks that would darken his face. His face grew pale under his natural tan, his face gradually growing gaunt from his self-imposed fast. He would look through people, his eyes far away as his mind - preoccupied by his star-crossed love - would slowly comprehend the conversation at their latest gathering.

He was slowly wasting away, pining for a love that could never be. But they loved him, so they did what they could for him.

The next time they searched for _him_, he was mildly surprised to find him missing. A casual inquiry soon became serious, his sharp glance cutting. She flinched from the glare, hoping she could protect herself from her unpredictable teammate, but she never had to worry. Within three seconds, he was gone. _Vanished_.

For her, at least.

He was sighted again an hour later, prowling the rooftops of his former home. A jump, a leap, and he was gone from sight, his dark pants disappearing into the window of a white room. The occupant stared listlessly at his ceiling, not even startled by the sudden entrance of his "guest".

"Naruto," he called out hoarsely. "Naruto."

No answer.

A step forward, a suddenly unsteady leg buckling, a trembling hand reaching forward to grab another.

"Naruto - please answer me."

But he was gone.

* * *

_AN: In case you were confused, this starts as Naruto's third person's point-of-view of Sasuke, then changing to Sasuke's third person point-of-view. And Sasuke _is_ loyal - to his dead family, and the way he kept Hebi around (as far as I know - I stopped reading a little after Shippuden). There were mentions of the Rookie Nine + Team Gai (they) and Sakura (she) as well._

_As for what happened, I will let you draw your own conclusions - sad or otherwise. For example, some possible endings are:_

_1.) Naruto has died_

_2.) Naruto has retreated into his mind so far that he's non-responsive_

_3.) Naruto is in coma_

_4.) Naruto is preoccupied with a severe broken heart_


End file.
